Rant Thread

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

I would add Brodie playing his off side to the list of strange (horrible) personnel decisions you noted above. He has failed miserably (and stubbornly) with those decisions.
This is only my opinion.

As the coach, what else can he do? Maybe GG is trying to minimize weakness by having TJ play with Wideman, even though it makes TJ less effective. But maybe the thought is that nobody else can play with Wideman or that anyone else with Wideman is an opposing offense's dream. So even thought TJ isn't his usual self, it is far better than having him play with Gio on the left side, and having Hamilton and Wideman be a pair of pylons together. Just a thought (Rant).

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Perfectly stated.
The system is fine. It's essentially the same system as the Pens, Caps, etc. The same as Babcock's system. To blame the system isn't just silly, it exhibits a fundamental lack of understanding.
But that certainly doesn't exempt Gulutzan from the fire. I would add Brodie playing his off side to the list of strange (horrible) personnel decisions you noted above. He has failed miserably (and stubbornly) with those decisions.
This is only my opinion.

The system can be fine, and it is fine. Flames are in a bad slump right now, defeated and have no confidence (which lies a lot in the goalie situation). This is where Gulutzan has failed. You don't talk to the team after the game win or lose? What type of coaching is that? This is a young team, not a team full of veterans that know what to do.

Bob Hartley didn't have much of a system, but he brought in a crazy work ethic that allowed players to just push through and win simply because they outworked the other team. Players hated his guts by last year, and it's a large part of why he is gone. Problem is now we have a player's coach that is too soft on everything. You can be a technically sound coach, but still be an ineffective coach.

You can't teach a player to be more confident with more Xs and Os on a board. You need to talk to them.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

This is wrong. Gulutzen is awful at player selection. The system isn't causing Jokipakka to leave his man open or Johnny to gift a SH breakaway or Johnson to whiff on pucks. The system can only put players in the right spots and They have to execute. If the system was the problem, the flames wouldn't have outshot and outchanced every opponent during this slide. Gulutzen's system doesn't tell Johnny to bobble the puck in tight or Bennett to take bad penalties. It doesn't cause the goalies to have sub 0.800 save percentages. It doesn't make Chaisson miss the net on open cages on glorious 2 on 1 chances.

I hate that Gulutzen puts our higher producing pp unit on half as much as the lower producing one. I hate that Hamilton gets 5 minutes a night (6 minutes at 5v5) less that Wideman. I hate that Johnny plus Chaisson is a thing.

But to put it on a system that had actually worked is silly

I wouldn't use shots and chances from games where they are down 3+ goals to justify the system working. I would look at games they win or are close in to see how it is working.

Teams don't keep pushing when they have big leads which leads to shot/chance imbalance.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I wouldn't use shots and chances from games where they are down 3+ goals to justify the system working. I would look at games they win or are close in to see how it is working.

Teams don't keep pushing when they have big leads which leads to shot/chance imbalance.

You may be familiar with a couple of these ones.
The Flames have out chanced early (by shot clock anyway) in 6 straight horrible performances/outcomes.
Of course score effects are significant, but these are first period numbers

Jan 24 at MTL - Prior to Shaw goal at 19:17 of first, Flames led 11-5 in shots
Jan 23 at TOR - Prior to Marner goal at 18:59 of first, Flames led 13-7 in shots
Jan 21 vs EDM - Fell behind 3-0 after the first, Flames led 13-8 in shots
Jan 19 vs NSH - Fell behind 1-0 after the first, Flames led 14-9 in shots
Jan 17 vs FLA - Fell behind 2-1 after the first, Flames led 10-5 in shots
Jan 14 at EDM - Score tied 0-0 after the first, Flames led 8-5 in shots

http://www.flamesfrom80feet.ca/2017/...ction.html?m=1

[atb]

The frustrating thing about this situation is that prior to Gulutzan's hire, there wasn't anything to suggest he could have success at the NHL level. His term in Dallas was short and mediocre. I'm sure the players aware of this coaches lack of success, lack of experience (comparatively to other coaches including Hartley), and the rumors that he's only on a 1 year deal. With all that combined, it's not hard to imagine why the players aren't buying in or confident under Glen. His apparent lack of passion or emotion doesn't help either, it just reeks of apathy (even if that's not the case) which filters down into the locker room. It felt like a bad hire at the time, and it feels like a bad hire now. I wonder if Burke was pushing Carlyle, or even Boudreau, and Treliving wanted to go with his guy in Gulutzan. If that was the case, you have to think that's created some tension at the management level.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

As the coach, what else can he do? Maybe GG is trying to minimize weakness by having TJ play with Wideman, even though it makes TJ less effective. But maybe the thought is that nobody else can play with Wideman or that anyone else with Wideman is an opposing offense's dream. So even thought TJ isn't his usual self, it is far better than having him play with Gio on the left side, and having Hamilton and Wideman be a pair of pylons together. Just a thought (Rant).

Fair enough. I absolutely understand the reasoning.
But could it actually be worse trying Kulak with Brodie, and Wideman with Engelland as third pairing?
Maybe it would have been worse, but certainly could have been tried, particularly given how it has played out instead.

[Sylvanfan]

Rabble Rabble, Arggghh, Arggghh, Arggghh!!!

This is really frustrating right now. But again, part of rebuilds...is having a team that really is this bad.

I'm not surprised that Monahan and Gaudreau are struggling. It does seem that a lot of players do have issues that first season when they see a big salary increase. Add in that T.J. Brodie has not been very good this year, Sam Bennett looks to have stagnated, or taken a step back, and Giordano's play has declined. Teams can't win when their best players are not their best players.

If you take a bigger picture approach, being a team with 82'ish points at this point a bit behind schedule in year 4 of a 5 year plan but not that far off.

But short term...you do get the feeling that version 1 of the rebuild has just failed epically...and it's time for attempt number 2. Did we just Oiler ourselves and anoint Bennett, Hamilton, Monahan, and Gaudreau as building blocks only to find out that they're our versions of Taylor Hall, RNH, Nurse and Eberle....and are more complementary types.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by atb

The frustrating thing about this situation is that prior to Gulutzan's hire, there wasn't anything to suggest he could have success at the NHL level. His term in Dallas was short and mediocre. I'm sure the players aware of this coaches lack of success, lack of experience (comparatively to other coaches including Hartley), and the rumors that he's only on a 1 year deal. With all that combined, it's not hard to imagine why the players aren't buying in or confident under Glen. His apparent lack of passion or emotion doesn't help either, it just reeks of apathy (even if that's not the case) which filters down into the locker room. It felt like a bad hire at the time, and it feels like a bad hire now. I wonder if Burke was pushing Carlyle, or even Boudreau, and Treliving wanted to go with his guy in Gulutzan. If that was the case, you have to think that's created some tension at the management level.

That's the big thing for me too, he has no track record of success. He might be able to spin a beautiful theory on game management to Treliving etc but if you don't see a pattern of success with teams at any level, especially the NHL level I really don't know how you can believe in his ability to coach in the NHL.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Fair enough. I absolutely understand the reasoning.
But could it actually be worse trying Kulak with Brodie, and Wideman with Engelland as third pairing?
Maybe it would have been worse, but certainly could have been tried, particularly given how it has played out instead.

I'm assuming that GG likes having a right and left shooting defenseman on each pairing. So even though Brodie can play very well opposite his shot with a left handed Kulak. It would leave two righties on the bottom pairing with Widman and Engelland. Maybe in practice it was a disaster. Or maybe Widman or Engelland were not comfortable with playing the opposite side. Who knows, but something needs to be figured out.

[northcrunk]

Todd Buttons not impressed:

http://www.tsn.ca/video/that-s-hockey-2nite

[FlamesAddiction]

I think this team is just so predictable. The Habs looked like they knew what they Flames were going to do before they even knew what they were going to do.

[CroFlames]

As far as I'm concerned, there better be maximum effort and desire from the players during a rebuild. I don't see that.

I can live with the losses and moral victories if each guy is putting forth tremendous efforts and individual players are improving aspects of their game.

The opposite is happening in this rebuild. Individuals are regressing, team play has become worse in many aspects, and the dog on effort simply isn't there. I would expect a young rebuilding team like ours to be playing balls to the walls and the coach having to reign them in a little because they are being TOO aggressive. This coach was forced to call out the team to the media for piss poor effort and resolve.

What is the root of the problem? I don't know. Sometimes I blame coach, sometimes I blame Captain, sometimes I blame the young boys with big bank accounts.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

Todd Buttons not impressed:

http://www.tsn.ca/video/that-s-hockey-2nite

Wow..even more scathing than what was on the radio. He straight up says Gulutzan is not a good coach.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

Todd Buttons not impressed:

http://www.tsn.ca/video/that-s-hockey-2nite

That is Craig Button.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

I'm assuming that GG likes having a right and left shooting defenseman on each pairing. So even though Brodie can play very well opposite his shot with a left handed Kulak. It would leave two righties on the bottom pairing with Widman and Engelland. Maybe in practice it was a disaster. Or maybe Widman or Engelland were not comfortable with playing the opposite side. Who knows, but something needs to be figured out.

What I want to know is why Brodie is finding it so hard. Playing on your strong side should make board passes easier for exits. It should make puck reception easier in both zones. It makes pinches easier. There's a reason most coaches insist on this.

I just find it hard to believe that a guy with demonstrated high hockey IQ, who makes great backhand passes, can't pass on his forehand.

Anyway, most of the mistakes I see Brodie making are decision making, not execution. Bad pinches, poor coverage decisions. Or simply getting outmuscled. Briefly in the beginning of the season, GG tried Gio and Brodie for a game or two and it wasn't good. It wasn't great all last season either.

I have thought he's skated better in the last month than ever before (this season).

The RH right side defencemen are Hamilton, Wideman and Engelland. Who gets switched to their off side in order to make Brodie more comfortable.

[Cube Inmate]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

That is Craig Button.

Tod Button probably has similar thoughts....

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

What I want to know is why Brodie is finding it so hard. Playing on your strong side should make board passes easier for exits. It should make puck reception easier in both zones. It makes pinches easier. There's a reason most coaches insist on this.

None of that matters when you're been accustomed to playing the right side your whole life and all of a sudden you're expected to move permanently to the left. Daley was stubbornly used on the left side as a leftie in CHI, when he's like Brodie: a leftie used to playing on the right. He sucked until the Penguins got him for their run and put him back on the right.

If you consider the experience aspect of it, there's probably dozens of little tricks, breakouts, and plays he's developed himself and have been using for a long time - the moves that only a leftie playing on the right can do. All of a sudden he's being asked to switch.

For example, when Brodie does decide to carry it himself into the o-zone, watch the side of the ice he does it on. A lot of the time, he starts off on the right, uses the net as a shield from the forechecker, and swings around down the left side with speed. Just one of many things he does on that side.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

As far as I'm concerned, there better be maximum effort and desire from the players during a rebuild. I don't see that.

I can live with the losses and moral victories if each guy is putting forth tremendous efforts and individual players are improving aspects of their game.

The opposite is happening in this rebuild. Individuals are regressing, team play has become worse in many aspects, and the dog on effort simply isn't there. I would expect a young rebuilding team like ours to be playing balls to the walls and the coach having to reign them in a little because they are being TOO aggressive. This coach was forced to call out the team to the media for piss poor effort and resolve.

What is the root of the problem? I don't know. Sometimes I blame coach, sometimes I blame Captain, sometimes I blame the young boys with big bank accounts.

That's what makes me think this is 90% coaching problem. At least last year when we sucked it was because of league worst goaltending but the players still played with effort and hustle. You don't see that at all now. Gulutzan obviously has zero motivational skills.

Originally Posted by GioforPM

What I want to know is why Brodie is finding it so hard. Playing on your strong side should make board passes easier for exits. It should make puck reception easier in both zones. It makes pinches easier.

Because he's a wizard with his backhand. It's weird, but why not play him to his strengths instead of forcing him to be uncomfortable? Another decision of the head coach that leaves me baffled.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

None of that matters when you're been accustomed to playing the right side your whole life and all of a sudden you're expected to move permanently to the left. Daley was stubbornly used on the left side as a leftie in CHI, when he's like Brodie: a leftie used to playing on the right. He sucked until the Penguins got him for their run and put him back on the right.

If you consider the experience aspect of it, there's probably dozens of little tricks, breakouts, and plays he's developed himself and have been using for a long time - the moves that only a leftie playing on the right can do. All of a sudden he's being asked to switch.

For example, when Brodie does decide to carry it himself into the o-zone, watch the side of the ice he does it on. A lot of the time, he starts off on the right, uses the net as a shield from the forechecker, and swings around down the left side with speed. Just one of many things he does on that side.

I think you mean the opposite, if you are arguing for him being on the right. However, most rushes I've seen him make are straight up the middle, with a head fake one way or another on the way.

And are we making some assumptions about what side he played until he played with Gio? I'd bet he's been on the left for significant periods of time. I know he did OK when he played with Engelland after Gio went down.

You know who else wanted TJ to make the adjustment to the left side? Crappy coach Darryl Sutter.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

Todd Buttons not impressed:

http://www.tsn.ca/video/that-s-hockey-2nite

I haven't been watching any sports coverage from TSN or Sportsnet since this slump started but Craigs face always make me laugh. Thanks for this